


All I've Got

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Heart-to-Heart, Homophobic Language, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 08:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25467394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: “Buck—”Buck shrugged him off. “Where the hell were you back there?” he demanded instead, his expression dark.“Making sure you didn’t get your ass handed to you by taking on three guys at once,” Eddie said evenly, but when Buck’s expression didn’t change, he sighed. “C’mon, Buck,” he said quietly. “It’s not worth it.”Buck met his eyes, a muscle working in his jaw. “Yeah, well, it’s worth it to me,” he said.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 260





	All I've Got

**Author's Note:**

> I had such a great response to my first fic for this pairing/fandom that I figured I might as well try my hand at a second one! 
> 
> Usual disclaimer. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

“You know,” Chimney said thoughtfully, “I’m just not sure that I believe it still.”

Hen followed his gaze to where Eddie and Buck were sitting together, close enough that their shoulders brushed together every time one of them moved. “Believe what?” Hen asked. “Those two idiots have been obvious since day one. It was just a matter of time.”

A matter of time that had finally culminated in Eddie and Buck telling the team a week ago that they were a couple. 

Something that had come as a surprise to exactly no one.

“No, not that part,” Chim said. “Anyone with eyes can see that. I’m just not sure that I believe that they were actually adult enough to have a conversation about their feelings and decide to date.”

Hen considered it for a moment. “In fairness, it did take them years to get there,” she pointed out.

“Good point.”

Before Chim could say anything more, the alarm went off inside the firehouse, and Chim and Hen exchanged glances and sighs before rushing toward the rig. 

It took Eddie and Buck perhaps a moment longer than usual to get to the rig, and Bobby met them with an unimpressed look. “Remember what I told you,” he started warningly as he followed Eddie and Buck to the door. “Your relationship cannot affect your work.”

“We know, we know,” Buck grumbled, grabbing the handle to pull himself inside, though he was stopped by Eddie, who grabbed his wrist, holding him in place for just a minute.

“See you out there,” Eddie said, his voice low, and Buck grinned at him.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Bobby said, a little gruffly, and Buck swung inside, still beaming.

His smile didn’t fade when he glanced around at the rest of them and saw the looks on their faces. “What?” he asked, just a little defensively.

“Nothing,” Bobby told him, not quite able to stop his own smile as he shook his head and glanced out the window. “Absolutely nothing.” He cleared his throat before telling the crew through his headset, “Alright, we’re headed to a gas line explosion in Winnetka. The 104 is already responding. We are there to support and transport. Understood?”

“Got it, Cap,” Eddie told him, as the rest of the crew nodded.

There wasn’t much more room for conversation until they arrived at the scene, and Bobby started doling out orders as soon as they arrived. “Chim, Hen, check with the EMTs on priority transfers to the hospital.” Chimney and Hen nodded, already heading in the direction he indicated. “Buck, Eddie, see if they need any assistance with extraction.”

Buck and Eddie glanced at each other, and Bobby sighed. “And whatever you do, don’t make me regret partnering you two.”

“I don’t know why you’d even think that!” Buck protested, but he was grinning, and Eddie just rolled his eyes affectionately and clapped him on the shoulder before they headed the opposite direction of Hen and Chimney.

“So what are you thinking for dinner tonight?” Buck asked as they made their way over to the 104 incident commander, and Eddie threw him a look.

“Is now really the time?” he asked, half-amused, half-exasperated.

Buck just grinned. “You know I do better when I have something to look forward to.”

“And spending time with me isn’t enough to look forward to?” Eddie asked dryly. Buck pretended to consider it and Eddie nudged him with his elbow, laughing.

“Well look who it is,” someone said loudly, and Buck and Eddie both paused, the smile disappearing from Eddie’s face as they saw three guys from the 104 looking at them. “Look, guys, someone brought some fruits to the cook out.”

Buck’s shoulders tensed as he stared at him. “What did you say?” he asked sharply.

The guy smirked. “You heard me,” he said.

“What the hell is your problem?” Buck demanded hotly, starting towards them, but Eddie grabbed his arm, holding him in place.

“Don’t,” he told Buck, his voice low. “Just ignore him. Besides, we got a job to do.”

“Yeah, you got a job to do,” the first guy said, while one of the others made kissing noises at them. “After all, you look like you know how to handle a hose. Or, uh, is that your little bitch boyfriend’s job?”

It was over almost as quickly as it started. Buck wrenched his arm from Eddie’s grasp and shoved the 104 firefighter making comments, getting in his face as they both shouted incomprehensibly at each other. Eddie had just managed to tug Buck back when both the 104 captain and Bobby arrived at the scuffled. “What is going on here?” Bobby asked sharply.

“Ask him,” Buck growled, trying in vain to throw off Eddie’s grip as he glared at the firefighter, his hands clenched into fists.

The 104 captain glanced at him dismissively. “This how you let your team behave?” he asked Bobby, whose expression tightened.

“Buck, go back to the station,” he ordered, and Buck whirled around, shock and anger stark on his face.

“Cap, you can’t be serious!” he protested. “That asshole—”

“Go back to the station, Firefighter Buckley,” Bobby repeated, meeting his glare evenly. “We’ll discuss it later.”

For a moment, it looked like Buck was going to argue further, but then he once again pulled his arm out of Eddie’s grip and stormed off toward the rig, Eddie at his heels. “Hey,” Eddie said, and when Buck ignored him, Eddie reached out to touch his shoulder. “Buck—”

Buck shrugged him off. “Where the hell were you back there?” he demanded instead, his expression dark.

“Making sure you didn’t get your ass handed to you by taking on three guys at once,” Eddie said evenly, but when Buck’s expression didn’t change, he sighed. “C’mon, Buck,” he said quietly. “It’s not worth it.”

Buck met his eyes, a muscle working in his jaw. “Yeah, well, it’s worth it to me,” he said, his voice rough, and this time, when he walked away, Eddie didn’t try to follow him.

* * *

When the crew from the 118 finally got back to the station, Eddie was the first off the rig, already searching for Buck. “You may want to give him some time,” Bobby advised. “Let him cool off.”

“You know Buck as well as I do, Cap,” Eddie said. “When has time ever helped him cool off?”

Before Bobby could answer, Eddie spotted Buck, who was clearly taking his frustration out on the punching bag, without even bothering with boxing gloves. Eddie hesitated for only a moment before joining him. “What did the punching bag ever do to you?” Eddie asked, aiming for a joke, but judging by the look Buck gave him, it didn’t land. “Are you ok?”

“I’m—” Buck grunted, punctuating his words with punches, ‘—just—fine.”

Eddie reached out to hold the bag steady. “You don’t seem fine,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“You really have to ask?”

Buck still sounded angry, but there was something else that tinged his tone, an undercurrent to the tension coming off of him in waves. “I guess not,” Eddie said. “But I guess I don’t get why it bothered you this much.”

Buck met his gaze, his brow furrowed. “And I don’t get why it didn’t bother you.”

“First off, I was in the military, and even though I was married to Shannon, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t the butt end of a lot of those kind of ‘jokes’,” Eddie said bracingly. “Besides, I don’t care what idiots like that think.”

“Well I do,” Buck said hotly. “This wasn’t some random asshole on the street, this was another firefighter, saying this to us at a scene. I just—” He aimed another punch at the bag, but his hand slipped and he hit his knuckles at an uneven angle. He winced and shook his hand out. “How am I supposed to do my job when there’s guys like that in the LAFD, guys who are supposed to have our backs when we’re out there but wouldn’t because, what? Because I happen to be dating a guy?”

Eddie reached out and caught Buck’s hand, rubbing Buck’s sore knuckles with his thumb. “By realizing you’ve still got a lot of good firefighters at your back.”

Buck shook his head. “What if that’s not enough?” he asked. “This job’s all I’ve got, and assholes like that could screw that up for me in so many ways.”

Eddie dropped Buck’s hand. “It’s not all you’ve got, Buck,” he said quietly. “Not anymore.”

“Eddie—”

But Eddie was already walking away, and Buck stared after him for a long moment before wincing again, his expression dark as he cradled his hand against his chest.

* * *

That night, Buck hesitated for only a moment before shifting his grip on the pizza box he was holding so that he could ring the doorbell. A moment later, Eddie opened the door, his smile fading when he saw who it was. “Oh,” he said, and Buck winced.

“I brought a peace offering,” he said, raising the box of pizza slightly.

“We already ate,” Eddie told him, taking a half-step over to block Buck from coming in. “And now’s not really a good—”

“I’m sorry.”

Eddie eyed him for a moment before stepping outside, closing the door after him and crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leveled a look at Buck. “For…?” he prompted.

“For saying all I have is my job,” Buck told him. “I know that I have more than just my job. I have you, and Christopher, and I swear you both mean more to me than anything in this world.”

Eddie’s expression flickered. “That’s not—” he started, before cutting himself off. “I don’t need to be the most important thing in your life. I know how much being a firefighter means to you. I just want to matter to you almost as much as your job.”

“And you do, I promise.”

Eddie sighed. “Why do I sense a but coming?”

“But,” Buck said with a small half-smile, “would you still love me if I wasn’t a firefighter?”

For a long moment, Eddie was silent. Then he shrugged. “I don’t know,” he told Buck honestly.

Buck’s expression fell. “Oh,” he said, his grip on the pizza box tightening. “Right. Look, I’m just gonna—”

“When you were hurt,” Eddie interrupted, and Buck froze, “when you were benched, when I wasn’t sure you were ever gonna wear the uniform again – my feelings didn’t change then.” He gave Buck a look. “Not even with the world’s most asinine lawsuit.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Buck muttered.

Eddie ignored him. “And the reason why my feelings didn’t change is because you were still you. Uniform or no uniform, firefighter or not. And as long as you’re still you, even if you were no longer a firefighter, I would still love you. This between us – it’s going to grow and change with us, whether that’s through different careers or just from us spending our lives together. But it sure as hell is not gonna change because some asshole thinks I’m less of a firefighter for loving you.”

Buck stared at him. “I really wish I didn’t have this pizza right now,” he said, and Eddie blinked.

“Why?”

“Because it would make it a helluva lot easier to do this.”

Buck shifted the pizza box to hold it with just one hand so that he could ball his other hand in Eddie’s shirt, pulling him close so that he could kiss him.

Both men were wearing identical grins when they broke apart a few moments later. “You were right,” Eddie said. “That would’ve been easier without the pizza.”

“I’ll make a note of it for next time I screw up and need to bring an apology,” Buck said with a chuckle.

“Next time?” Eddie asked, raising both eyebrows.

Buck made a face. “I know myself too well to think this is gonna be a one-time deal.”

Eddie laughed. “Probably true.” He paused, turning serious. “Oh, and one more thing.”

Buck groaned. “Something else?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Let me see your knuckles.”

“Oh.” 

Buck had the good grace to look slightly sheepish as he held out his hand to Eddie, who scowled as he took Buck’s hand, examining the bruises across his knuckles more closely. “Didn’t you ice it?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Buck mumbled, flushing. “I mean, what, did you always ice your knuckles after your illegal bare-knuckle boxing matches?”

“First off, it was cage fighting,” Eddie corrected him, carefully bending Buck’s fingers and pressing lightly against the bruises as Buck winced. “And besides, I know how to take care of myself.”

“Well that’s what I have you for,” Buck said lightly, the corners of his lips twitching toward a smile,, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile as well, even as he shook his head. “Besides, I wanted to look badass for Christopher.”

“You don’t need to turn up bruised and bloody for that,” Eddie told him, finally finishing his exam and looking up at Buck.

“So what’s the diagnosis?”

“Besides idiocy?” Buck scowled and Eddie laughed lightly before telling him. “Doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage.”

Buck smiled again. “Treatment?”

Eddie considered it for a moment. “I think an old family remedy is in order,” he said seriously, before lifting Buck’s hand to his mouth and kissing his bruised knuckles gently, his lips curving into a smile against Buck’s knuckles as Buck laughed. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” Buck said honestly. “I do.”

“Good, then I don’t have to feel bad when I kick your ass playing Mortal Kombat,” Eddie told him, taking the pizza from him and turning to head inside, grinning when Buck let out an indignant squawk before following him inside.


End file.
